South Pavilion
Upper Level
English Portrait Gallery S204

PORTRAIT STUDY
When someone takes a picture of you, what do you want him or her to see? Before photography was invented in the mid-1800s, wealthy patrons paid artists to capture their likenesses in painting or sculpture. Portraits were made for many reasons--as family heirlooms, a way to show one’s social standing, or as a historical document, for example. By looking carefully at a portrait, you can discover clues that tell you about the person represented and time in which the artwork was made.

Pick a portrait in this room. Spend a minute looking quietly at the artwork you selected.  Then respond to the following questions:

1. Describe the facial expression of the person depicted. What does it tell you about how this person feels or who she or he is?

2. Describe the person’s pose. Does his or her body seem relaxed or stiff? Does the pose tell you anything about the attitude of the person represented?

3. Describe what the person is wearing. What do the clothes tell you about this person? 

4. Describe the setting. Where is this person? Are there objects in the setting that might tell us about him or her?

5. If this person were to start speaking, what do you think he or she would say?

6. If you were to have your portrait made, what would you want it to look like? What would you want people to know about you? What would you wear? What would you be doing? What facial expression would you have? Would you put any special objects in the portrait to show what is important to you?